COMPLIANCE

University at Buffalo 2007-08 Student-Athlete Handbook

OFFICE OF ATHLETE ACADEMIC AND STUDENT SERVICES (OAASS)

Academic Services
The Office of Athlete Academic Services, located in Room 169 in Alumni Arena, provides a variety of academic assistance geared to help move you pursue degree completion and graduation, including academic advising, tutorial programs, learning assessments, mentoring programs, and career planning assistance. At the beginning of the year, you and your teammates will attend an introductory meeting that will acquaint you with the program’s services and introduce you to your team’s advisor. Included among these services are:

Academic Advisement and Counseling
The largest components of the Athletic Academic Services office are counseling and advisement. Your team advisor is responsible for helping you decide on and coordinate your academic direction, monitor your academic progress, report your progress to your coaches, refer you to the appropriate resources when needed and act as your advocate. It is important for you to remember, however, that your advisor is only one resource and was not established to keep you isolated from other university professional staff. The ultimate responsibility for your academic success is yours. You are expected to work academically to achieve and succeed.

Get to know your team advisor well by scheduling regular meetings or by just dropping by for a talk. The team advisor is your advocate; one who can speak on your behalf and help you deal with the many issues student-athletes at UB confront daily.

Athlete Tutorial Program
Tutors are available to provide individual support in specific courses and to assist with study skills. However, the responsibility for attending class, taking good notes and preparing for exams is yours. Don’t be embarrassed to ask for the help of a tutor. Almost everyone needs help in a course during his or her university career. The biggest mistake students make is waiting until they are in serious trouble in a course before they ask for help. If you use the tutorial service when you begin having trouble, you will save yourself a lot of time, frustration and wasted effort. Often the tutors can show you the best way to study for a particular course. So, if you are having difficulty with a course, inform your advisor as soon as possible. Both drop in tutoring and assigned tutors are available at your request.

Learning Assessment
If you are having specific difficulties with note taking, concentrating, test taking, studying etc., alert your team advisor and one of our learning specialists will arrange to meet with you. The learning specialist will assess your situation and help you develop a strategy for success.

UBE 101 The UB Experience
This 1-credit course is designed for first semester freshmen and deals with the issues of survival as a student-athlete at UB. Throughout the semester, guided discussions focus on academic, career and personal exploration. See your team advisor about registering for this course.

Academic Requirements
A student-athlete’s academic standing and eligibility are determined by two key measurements of coursework attempted and hours earned. They are (1) your progress toward your degree on a semester-by-semester basis and (2) the certifiable hours toward eligibility you earn on the same semester-by-semester basis.

The following are conditions that must be satisfied each year to remain academically eligible for participation in intercollegiate sports. Keep in mind that these are minimum standards and each student-athlete should strive for academic excellence and not merely academic eligibility.

To be in good standing with the University and the NCAA you must be registered for at least 12 credit hours during the fall and spring semesters. Should you ever go below 12 credit hours, for any reason, you immediately become ineligible for both practice and competition. Do not drop a class without first checking with your academic advisor.

Students entering a collegiate institution on or after August 1, 2003 will be certified for continuing eligibility after each semester and must meet the following requirements to be eligible for competition:

• pass 6 credit hours each semester
• pass 18 credit hours during the academic year (fall and spring only) or in the previous 2 semesters
• pass 24 hours prior to the beginning of his/her second year of enrollment
• complete 40% of his/her degree entering the third year of enrollment, 60% entering the fourth year of enrollment and 80% entering the fifth year of enrollment
• stay in good academic standing at the University

Academic Probation
The Office of Undergraduate Enrollment & Planning places students on academic probation. A student-athlete who is placed on academic probation is no longer considered to be in “good academic standing” and is considered by the university and the NCAA to be ineligible for competition. If you are on academic probation, you must meet with your academic advisor to discuss your situation.

The following conditions must be satisfied each semester in order for a student-athlete to maintain his or her eligibility:

• A minimum cumulative grade point average (for work attempted both at this university and at any other post-secondary institution the student may have attended) of 2.0 or above.
• The student’s cumulative grade point average for work attempted at UB is 2.0 or above.

  Note: After enrollment at UB, classed taken elsewhere that are transferred back to UB DO NOT affect your GPA at UB.

Grading System

Letter Grade		Grade Point Equivalent	Grade Interpretation
	A	4.00	High Distinction
	A-	3.67	High Distinction
	B+	3.33	Superior
	B	3.00	Superior
	B-	2.67	Superior
	C+	2.33	Average
	C	2.00	Average
	C-	1.67	Average
	D+	1.33	Minimum Passing Grade
	D	1.00	Minimum Passing Grade
	F	0.00	Failure

Note: Instructors are not obligated to use +/- grades.

How to calculate your grade point average:

• Add the number of letter-graded credit hours attempted each semester.
• Add the number of grade points earned each semester.
• Divide the total grade points by the total number of attempted credit hours

Sample

Course	Credit Hours Attempted	Grade	Credit Hours	Grade Points Completed
Chemistry 101	5.0	D (1.00)	5	5.00
Math 141	4.0	A (4.00)	4	16.00
English 101	3.0	C+ (2.33)	3	6.99
Philosophy 115	3.0	B (3.00)	3	9.00
	15.0		15	36.99

Credit Hours Attempted: 15.00
Grade Points: 36.99
Grade Point Average: 2.466
(36.99 divided by 15.00)

Course Registration
Student-athletes at UB receive special registration privileges. You should schedule an appointment with your team advisor to discuss course selection. Consider the following when planning your schedule:

• Go see your department advisor prior to your Athletics Academic Advisor.
• Know your scheduling needs as early as possible.
• Take advantage of early or preregistration (usually the prior semester).
• Research your professors—choose those with outstanding teaching reputations.
• Drop/Add until you get what you want. If you add a class late, catch up promptly.
• Be persistent about getting into the class you want. Talk to the professor. Professors often have the final say of overriding the “closed class” status. Do not let the computer run your academic life.
• Read and understand the college catalog—your education is your responsibility.

* Be aware of the early registration window dates. If you miss this, you will be forced to register based on your class standing.

Missed Class Policy
University at Buffalo Class Absence Policy Adopted 11 December 2001

Alternative Testing Policy
When travel and competition exigencies conflict with scheduled exams, quizzes or presentations the following options may apply:

• Alternative testing or exam arrangements are made between instructor and student without the intervention of the OAAS.
• When the instructor stipulates the administration of an exam/quiz by the OAAS Office, the academic advisor of the concerned team is contacted to arrange administration. Guidelines regarding testing time and location are determined by the instructor.
• When an instructor agrees to allow for testing "on the road" the security and integrity of the examination process becomes the utmost concern. Student-athletes are to be closely monitored by the designated proctor in an area conducive to test taking. Since in many cases the answers to exam questions are posted in the internet, examining must be completed by the time determined by the instructor. Exams are to be given to an advisor or other OAAS professional staff member and then passed on to the coach-proctor for administration. Completed exams are returned to the advisor in a signed and sealed envelope for delivery to the instructor.
• Faculty Senate policy regarding student-athletes supports the arrangement of alternative testing when conflicts arise with scheduled athletic participation. However, continued faculty support can only be expected as long as we can assure the integrity of the testing process.
• All issues or problems arising from the need to arrange alternative testing should be referred to the team advisor or Dr. Wallace.

Academic Review Board
After the Fall semester grades are available, those students who have fallen below a 2.0 for that semester receive letters to let them know the importance of meeting with the Academic Review Board. The purpose of this meeting is to determine the cause of the students’ difficulties and take steps to correct the situation in order for the student-athlete to achieve academic success. The Academic Review Board is composed of the team academic advisor, as well as other academic advisors, the Director, Compliance staff and coaches.

Drop/Add
Student-athletes cannot add or drop a class without prior approval of your Athlete Academic Advisor. This includes the two-week drop/add period at the beginning of each semester.

Tips for Academic Success

• Attend class. Tests are most often based on material covered in class. If you are going to be away from campus for a game, alert your instructors ahead of time. Get your assignments in advance, if possible, and determine when the work is due. Let your instructor know when you are ill. Your class attendance may be one criteria used by your professor when assigning final grades.
• Go to class prepared. You should have all reading and written assignments completed on time. If you go to class unprepared, it is often difficult to understand the material presented in class. Also, your instructor may tag you as a student with a poor attitude, which may influence your grade.
• Know your instructor. Introduce yourself to your instructor; this is especially important in large section classes. If you have any questions relative to the course, meet with your instructor. Your professor is interested in your performance in the classroom and will generally be happy to discuss material related to your course.
• Make a good impression. Go to class on time. Entering class late causes a disruption. Do not read papers, listen to radios, wear headsets etc., in class.
• Do not let little problems become big problems. If you feel yourself falling behind in class, contact your Athlete Academic Advisor for help. Also, remember, instructors are here to teach. Don’t be afraid to make an appointment and ask questions about material that you don’t understand. Make sure someone knows you need help before you reach the point where you cannot possibly do well in the course.
• Attend study centers. Supervised study center is provided in order to help you develop good study habits and learn the importance of time management. You should set aside at least two hours a day for studying and use your study center constructively.